Develop Your Core Marketing Strategy and Hold To It

I talk with a lot of fast-moving organic, green and natural food products companies. The great part of marketing these products is that nine out of ten times they are better: healthier, more efficacious, or better tasting. They are marketer’s dream.

The one mistake I see over and over for many of these innovative start-ups is the belief that just being “better” will be enough to get consumers to switch to their product. “Better” is not a strategy. It is a false hope. What you need is a solid strategy describing the magic that will make the product fly off the shelf. Then you need a very consistent marketing program to reinforce the strategy and to compete with the bigger competitors in the market. Too often I see companies getting marketing or product advice from people (read friends and family) which in no way reflect the general public then apply that advice very inconsistently at best. The product fails to hit the sweet spot, then they get nervous and begin discounting, then a recession ensues, and their back to making the product in their garage again.

The good news is the recession may not be having as much effect on many of these companies as previously thought. According to a report; despite the recession and their occasionally higher cost, most consumers are still buying green products. A survey by Portland, Oregon-based non-profit product certifiers Green Seal found that of 1,000 people surveyed, half are buying as many green products as before the downturn, while 19 percent are buying more. Only 14 percent are buying fewer. While sales are down overall at Home Depot, its Eco-Options label of energy efficient products are outperforming conventional merchandise sales across the board.

Now maybe the perfect times to enter this market as opportunities are still high and competitors are pulling back. Just make sure you have that strategy worked out.